Government Launches Cooperative Mining and Skills Programme to Regulate Small-Scale Mining

The government has launched the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) at Awonakrom in the Ahanta West–Mpohor–Fiase area, issuing an operating licence to a local mining cooperative as part of efforts to formalise small-scale mining and curb illegal mining.

Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Dr Yusif Sulemana, said the programme would bring miners operating outside forest reserves and water bodies into a regulated system that promotes responsible mining and ensures local communities benefit from their mineral resources.

He described the initiative as a new approach to tackling galamsey while enabling young people already engaged in small-scale mining to operate legally. The Member of Parliament for Mpohor, Kofi Bentil, and the District Chief Executives for Ahanta West and Mpohor attended the launch.

Dr Sulemana said the government inherited severe environmental damaged, including destroyed water bodies, degraded land and widespread harm to the country’s natural resources. The programme, he said, would transition eligible miners into organised cooperatives that could obtain certification and operate under regulatory supervision.

“The idea is to ensure that those of our young men and women who are already into illegal mining, and who are not in the forest reserves or on our water bodies, have their activities regularised,” he said. He said the scheme would benefit local communities, traditional authorities, district assemblies and the youth, while warning outsiders against taking control of community mining operations.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Minerals Commission will monitor the cooperative’s operations to ensure compliance with environmental and mining regulations.

Dr Sulemana urged miners to plan for land reclamation, respect traditional landowners and adopt modern processing technologies to reduce the use of mercury and other harmful chemicals. More efficient methods, he said, could improve gold recovery while limiting environmental damage.

Regulatory supervision

In an interview with the media, Deputy National Coordinator of rCOMSDEP, George Dadzie said the Awonakrom site was established after miners were identified and profiled, organised into cooperatives and consulted with relevant stakeholders.

He said the process involved traditional authorities, security agencies, political representatives, religious leaders and community members before the site was assessed.

A sign post

Mr Dadzie stressed that the operating licence did not permit unrestricted mining. Activities would remain subject to regulatory monitoring and enforcement by a technical committee made up of representatives from relevant agencies.

“We are not here to scare them. We are here to make sure that we move them from the irresponsible to responsible,” he said. He added that compliance mechanisms would enable authorities to sanction breaches, including stopping operations where necessary.

Background to the programme

The launch forms part of the government’s broader strategy to reform artisanal and small-scale mining through rCOMSDEP.

Cabinet approved the initiative in July 2025, and it was officially launched at Obuasi on August 6, 2025. The programme brings together and seeks to improve on the Community Mining Scheme and the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme.

According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, rCOMSDEP will establish locally owned mining cooperatives, provide professional training and legal concessions, and facilitate access to shared processing facilities equipped with modern technologies and water-treatment systems.

It also aims to restore degraded land and equip young people and women with vocational, technical, agricultural, digital and entrepreneurial skills for alternative employment and self-employment.

The Awonakrom launch marks another step towards combining lawful small-scale mining with environmental protection and community development. Its success will depend on sustained supervision, environmentally sound methods and ensuring that mineral-rich communities receive a fair share of the benefits of extraction.

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